Apparatus for propelling a craft



H. p. KRAGNESS I APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING A CRAFT Ajax-i122, 1969 Sheet File d Dec. 15, 1967 I INVENTOR. HAROLD D. KRAGNESS BY W M ATTORNEYS Sheet of 4 April 22, 1969 H. D. KRAGNESS APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING CRAFT Fi led Dec. 13, 1967 INVENTOR. HAROLD D KAA sA/Ess ATTORNEYS A ril 22, 1969 H. D. KRAGNESS APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING A CRAFT Filed Dec. '15, 1967 Sheet of 4 q -/32 I H? w r 3/ [Z r23 7 z I 30 J /5 4 M 4 8 INVENTOR.

4; I if; HAROLD l7. KQAG/VESS i BY 4 i 7 FIG 4 4 jZWiW ATTORNE vs April 22, 1969 Y H. D.- KRAGNESS 3,439,645

APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING A CRAFT Filed Dec. 15, 1967 Sheet 4 of-4 v 4/ I -45 i FIG-I0 k INVENTOR. HAROLD D. KQA cs/vess Arroe/vzvs United States Patent U.S. Cl. 115-25 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A boat with a pair of foot operated treadles aifixed to separate shafts each having a segment gear attached to the outer end thereof and meshing with second gears which are in turn meshed with upper and lower generally horizontal racks which are mounted for longitudinal sliding movement. A third gear, having a pitch diameter approximately twice the pitch diameter of the second gear, is rotatably mounted on each of the lower racks in mesh with the associated upper rack and a third horizontal rack mounted for longitudinal sliding movement below the lower rack and further attached to a chute-like paddle, having a pair of gates therein which swing freely in one direction but provide a propelling force in the opposite direction. The apparatus further includes means for altering the movements of the gates of either or both paddles so that the direction of the propelling force is altered.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention In many instances on small lakes and the like it is desirable to propel watercraft by means other than large motors. It is especially desirable at amusement parks and the like to provide sight-seeing crafts which can be conveniently propelled by any person utilizing the craft.

Description of the prior art In the prior art small watercraft utilized on small lakes and ponds are propelled by a variety of apparatus including hand operated paddles and oars, paddle wheels operated by bicycle-like pedals, and a great variety of mechanical paddles having many innovations therein to facilitate retractability for landing, ease of operation, etc. In general each of these devices are either cheap, simple to operate, or have some novel feature which makes them attractive and pleasant to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to apparatus for propelling a craft including a frame having a shaft rotatably mounted thereon with means operatively attached thereto for imparting oscillatory rotation to said shaft, rack means mounted on said frame for longitudinal sliding movements and gear means operatively connecting the oscillatory rotation of said shaft to said rack means and providing oscillatory movements to a paddle means attached to said rack means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide new and novel propelling apparatus for a craft.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide manually operable propelling apparatus which is attractive and pleasant to operate.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide propelling apparatus for a craft having rack and gear arrangements whereby foot treadles produce a paddle stroke of substantial length.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide propelling apparatus including shifting and turning controls for moving the craft in substantially a desired direction.

These and other objects of this invention will become 3,439,645 Patented Apr. 22, 1969 "ice BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to the drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the figures:

FIGURE 1 is a view in top plan of a watercraft having the present propelling apparatus mounted thereon, parts thereof removed and shown in section;

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation of the watercraft with the present propelling apparatus mounted thereon, parts thereof removed and shown in section;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view as seen from the line 33 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view as seen from the line 4-4 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, parts thereof removed, illustrating the apparatus in a different position;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view as seen from the line 66 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view as seen from the line 77 in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged view in side elevation as seen from the line 8-8 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged sectional view as seen from the line 9-9 in FIGURE 8; and

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged sectional view as seen from the line 10-10 in FIGURE 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT the numeral 15 designates a watercraft, such as a pontoon boat or any of the various flat bottom boats. A pair of elongated shafts 16 and 16' and rotatably mounted on the watercraft in a coaxial position just above the deck and transverse to the direction of movement thereof. The inner ends of the shafts 16 and 1-6' are positioned at approximately the center of the craft 15 and each have a treadle 17 and 17, respectively, affixed for rotation therewith adjacent the inner end thereof. The treadles 17 and 17 are each adapted to receive an operators foot thereon and to be urged into oscillatory rotary movement. It should be understood that the treadles 17 and 17 are one means for providing oscillatory rotation of the shafts 16 and 16 and many other means might be devised by those skilled in the art, such as elongated handles extending outwardly therefrom for hand operation, etc., and all such modifications which perform the functions of the present apparatus come within the scope of this invention.

All of the mechanism associated with the treadle 17 and the attached shaft 16 form an apparatus for propelling a craft and the mechanism associated with the treadle 17' and the attached shaft 16' is similar but, since the two mechanisms are assembled to operate on opposite sides of the watercraft 15 one is a mirror image of the other. Since the mechanism on one side of the watercraft 15 is similar to the mechanism on the other side, only the mechanism associated with the treadle 17 and the attached shaft 16 will be explained in detail and all of the mechanism associated with the treadle 17 and the attached shaft 16 which is similar will have a similar number with prime added to indicate mechanism on the opposite side of the watercraft 15.

A handrail 18 is provided forward of the treadle 17 on the craft 15 to stabilize the operator while he is imparting oscillatory movement to the treadle 17. The handrail 18 is collapsible, as illustrated in the collapsed position in dotted lines in FIGURE 1, to facilitate transportation of the craft 15. A housing and supporting frame 20 is mounted on the side of the craft 15 at the end of the shaft 16 and serves to mount and support the handrail 18. Since the exact design of the handrail '18 is not In the figures critical to this invention, further description thereof will not be set forth.

A segment gear 21 is fixedly attached to the outer end of the shaft 16 for rotation therewith and meshes with a gear 22 rotatably affixed to the supporting frame 20. Since the shaft 16 only rotates in an oscillatory fashion through a limited arc the segment gear 21 can be utilized in place of a complete gear. However, it should be understood that different embodiments might be provided wherein the means imparting oscillatory rotation to the shaft 16 travels through a larger arc and in such embodiments the segment gear 21 might actually be a complete gear.

The gear 22 has aflixed to the outer surface thereof in coaxial relationship a second gear 23, which in this embodiment has a slightly larger diameter than the gear 22 but could be formed as an integral part thereof and in some instances might actually be gear 22 extended axially. A pair of rods 24 are mounted in parallel spaced apart relationship by means of blocks 25 at either end thereof affixed to the frame 20. A rack 26 having holes therethrough parallel with the longitudinal axis is mounted on the rods 24 for longitudinal sliding movements therealong. The rack 26 is mounted below the gear 23 and is meshed therewith so as to move longitudinally along the rods 24 as the gear 23 rotates. The rack 26 is mounted so that movement of the forward part of the treadle 17 downwardly causes the rack 26 to move forward on the rods 24 to a position adjacent the forward block 25 while movement of the rear portion of the treadle 17 downwardly causes the rack 26 to move rearwardly to a position adjacent the rear block 25.

A gear 30 having a pitch diameter approximately twice the pitch diameter of the gear 23 is rotatably mounted on the rack 26 approximately parallel with an adjacent the gear 23. The size and position of the gear 23 and 30 and the rack 26 are such that the uppermost extremities of the gears 23 and 30 are approximately in a horizontal plane. A rack 31 is mounted on a pair of rods 32, which are held on the frame by clocks 33 at either end thereof, for longitudinal sliding movements along the rods 32. The rack 31 is approximately equal to the combined widths of the gears 23 and 30 and the distance therebetween, so that it is meshed with both of the gears 23 and 30 simultaneously. Thus, rotation of the gear 23 produces sliding movement of the racks 26 and 31 (in opposite directions) and consequent rotation of the gear 30. It should be noted that the axis of the gear 30 moves horizontally with the rack 26 while the simultaneous sliding movement of the rack 31 in the opposite direction produces rotation of the gear 30 about its axis. Because of the simultaneous movement of the axis of the gear 30 and the rotation of the gear 30 about its axis, the rotary movement of the gear 23 is greatly magnified or increased by the gear 30.

A third rack 35 is mounted for longitudinal sliding movements on a pair of rods 36, which are in turn aflixed to the frame 20 and the side of the craft 15 by blocks 37 at either end thereof. The rack 35 meshes with the gear 30 along the lower periphery thereof and moves in an oscillatory fashion along the rods 36 under the influence of the rotary and linear movement of the gear 30. The rack 35 moves in the same direction as the rack 26, except that the distance it moves is greater because of the increased movement of the gear 30. While the specific arrangement of gears and racks illustrated in the preferred embodiment performs the function of the present invention, it should be understood that other arrangements might be provided which also perform the functions of the present invention and all such arrangements come Within the scope of this invention.

Paddle means generally deignated 48 include a box 41, having the front and rear ends open, with a pair of gates 42 and 43 mounted approximately centrally therein for pivotal movement about a pair of vertical axes 44 and 45, respectively, adjacent the sidewalls of the box 41. The paddle means 40 is fixedly attached to the rack for oscillatory movement therewith by means of a hinge 46. A first leaf 47 of the hinge 46 is fixedly attached to the outer surface of the rack 35 approximately adjacent the rearmost end thereof by some convenient means, such as welding or the like. The leaf 47 is positioned with the knuckle thereon extending upwardly and a portion of the leaf extending below the lower edge of the rack 35.

A second leaf 48 of the hinge 46 is attached by a knuckle of the leaf 47 in the usual manner and extends downwardly therefrom approximately parallel with the side of the craft 15 and somewhat therebelow. The second leaf 48 is fixedly attached to the side of the box 41 so that the box 41 is positioned beneath the craft 15 and the propelling apparatus. The paddle means is attached to the rack 35 by the hinge 46 also that it can be swung upwardly onto the deck of the craft 15, as illustrated in dotted lines in FIGURE 4, for transportation and maintenance purposes.

A spacer block 50 is fixedly attached to the downwardly projecting portion of the leaf 47 by means of a bolt 51 which is threadedly engaged in the spacer block 50 so as to extend through a hole in the leaf 47 and is fixedly engaged therein by a nut on the rear side of the leaf 47. The bolt 51 extends outwardly from the spacer block 50 a substantial distance and coincides with an opening 52 in the second leaf 48 when the second leaf 48 is abutting the spacer block 50.

Referring to FIGURES 8 through 10 a rectangular shaped plate 55 can be seen, which plate 55 is pivotally attached to the outer surface of the leaf 48 by means of a bolt 56. The plate 55 has a notch 57 in the upper edge thereof, which notch 57 is adapted to receive the body of the bolt 51 in locking engagement therein. A spring 58 associated with the bolt '56 produces a counterclockwise torque on the plate 55 about the bolt 56 (referring to FIG- URE 8) so that the notch 57 in the plate 55 is maintained in engagement with the bolt 51. When the notch 57 in the plate 55 is engaged over the body of the bolt 51 the head of the bolt 51 abuts the outer surface of the plate 55 and prevents the bolt 51 from being retracted through the opening 52 in the leaf 48. Thus, the paddle means 40 is maintained in its operating position. When it is desired to raise the paddle means 40 on to the deck of the craft 15 an elongated rod 59 is inserted into one end of the plate 55 so that an upward force on the rod 59 produces a torque on the plate 55 in opposition to the spring 58. The rod 59 is pulled upwardly to disengage the plate 55 and allow the paddle means 40 and the leaf 48 to be disengaged from the bolt 51.

The gates 42 and 43 are constructed so that the edges farthest removed from the axes 44 and 45 are adjacent when the gates 42 and 43 are perpendicular to the direction of movement of the craft 15 and water is substantially prevented thereby from flowing through the box 41. The extreme upper corners of the adjacent edges of each of the gates 42 and 43 are removed and pins 60 and 61 are aflixed to the gates 42 and 43, respectively, so as to extend upwardly in the opening left by the removal of the corners. An arcuate slot 62 is formed in the upper wall of the box 41 adjacent the pins 60 and 61 and extending outwardly a substantial distance past the pins 60 and 61. An L-shaped member 63, having one arm 64 and one arm 65, is pivotally afiixed to the upper surface of the box 41 by a bolt 67 at approximately the junction of the arms 64 and 65. The extreme outer end of the arm 64 has a flange 66 extending downwardly therefrom and the L-shaped member 63 is mounted so that the flange 66 extends downwardly through the slot 62 and engages both of the pins 60 and 61 simultaneously when the arm 64 is parallel to the direction of movement of the craft 15. A leaf spring 68 is engaged in a slot in the bolt 67 and in a slot in the L-shaped member 63 and biases the L-shaped member 63 so that the arm 64 is normally parallel with the direction of movement of the craft 15. Thus, the flange 66 on the L-shaped member 63 normally engages the pins 60 and 61 and prevents the gates 42 and 43 from pivoting through an angle greater than 90. As the paddle means 40 moves forward beneath the craft the gates 42 and 43 swing into a position substantially parallel with the movement of the craft 15 (illustrated in broken lines in FIGURE 6) under the force of the water rushing through the box 41. As the paddle means 40 moves rearwardly the gates 42 and 43 move into a position perpendicular to the movement of the craft 15 (illustrated in dotted lines in FIGURE 6) and the pins 60 and 61 engage the flange 66 so that further movement of the gates 42 and 43 in a forward direction is prevented. The gates 42 and 43, therefore, prevent water from passing through the box 41 and provide a propelling force for the craft 15 in a forward direction.

A lever 70 is pivotally attached adjacent the lower end thereof to the frame generally above the box 41 and extends upwardly for easy forward and backward manipulation by the operator. An arcuate segment 71 having three notches therein is affixed to the frame 20 adjacent the lever 70 and a spring biased indexing mechanism operated by a handle 72, positioned adjacent the upper end of the lever 70, cooperates with the arcuate segment 71 to provide three positions for the lever 70. A horizontal bar 75 is pivotally afiixed to a midpoint on the lever 70 for longitudinal sliding movements as the lever 70 is moved to its various positions. Stops are provided on the frame 20 to prevent rotational movement of the bar 75 and to maintain it substantially horizontal throughout movement of the lever 70. Elongated fingers 76 and 77 extend downwardly from the rear and front ends of the bar 75 a distance sufficiently far to engage the arm 65 of the L-shaped member 63 on the top of the box 41 (see FIGURE 6). Each of the fingers 76 and 77 have a pivotally mounted section 76a and 77a mounted at the lower end thereof. The section 76a is free to rotate in a counterclockwise direction in FIGURE 5 and the section 77a is free to rotate in a clockwise direction. Both sections are rigid and nonpivotal in the opposite direction when they are in the vertically downwardly extending position. The fingers 76 and 77 are spaced apart horizontally a distance slightly greater than the stroke of the paddle means 40 so that neither of the fingers 76 nor 77 engage the arm 65 when the lever 70 is in its central position. However, when the lever 70 is moved to its forward position the rearmost finger 76 is moved forwardly so that it engages the arm 65 as the paddle means 40 moves rearwardly. Conversely, when the lever 70 is moved to its rearward position the foremost finger 77 is moved rearwardly so that it engages the arm 65 as the paddle means 40 moves forwardly. Neither of the fingers 76 nor 77 engage the arm 65 when the paddle means 40 is moving in the opposite direction to those described above, because of the pivotal sections 7611 and 77a.

When the lever 70 is in the forward position the rear finger 76 is positioned slightly ahead of the rearmost position of the arm 65 and upon engagement therewith the arm 65 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (as illustrated in dotted lines in FIGURE 6) and the flange 66 is moved in the slot 62 so it no longer engages the pins 60 and 61. Thus. the gates 42 and 43 are free to rotate in a forward direction. As the rack continues to move rearwardly the arm 65 is disengaged from the finger 76 and the member 63 rotates back to its normal position to prevent the gates 42 and 43 from pivoting rearwardly. Forward movement of the rack 35 and movement of the arm 65 past the rfinger 76 has no effect because the section 76a pivots upwardly. That is, once the flange 66 is moved away from engagement with the pins 60 and 61 the gates 42 and 43 are free to rotate in either direction and, assuming the rack 35 and paddle means are moving in a direction to urge the gates 42 and 43 in a position forward of the flange 66, once the arm 65 is released and the flange 66 returns to its normal position the pins and 61 will be in front of the flange 66. With the flange 66 behind the pins 60 and 61 the power stroke of the paddle means 40 will be in the opposite direction and the craft 15 will move in a reverse direction.

When the lever 70 is moved to its rearward position the finger 77 is moved rearwardly so that it engages the arm when the paddle means 40 moves forwardly toward the front end of the stroke. Upon engagement of the finger 77 with the arm 65 the member 63 is rotated in a clockwise direction and the flange 66 is disengaged from the pins 60 and 61. Since the paddle means 40 is moving in a forward direction the water pressure on the gates 42 and 43 will force them rearwardly and the pins 6% and 61 will move to the rear of the flange 66. Thus, the propulsion apparatus has again been shifted to propel the craft 15 in a forward direction.

In the operation of the craft 15 oscillatory rotation of the treadle 17 with the foot causes the paddle means 40 to oscillate beneath the craft 15 and oscillatory rotation of the treadle 17 with the other foot causes a paddle means 40 on the opposite side of the craft 15 to oscillate therebeneath. The treadles 17 and 17 may be operated as pedals (in opposite directions) so the paddle means 40 and 40 have alternating power strokes or the treadles 17 and 17' may be operated in similar directions for simultaneous power strokes. Also, a single treadle 17 or 17 may be operated to perform a 'wide turn or one of the paddle means 40 or 40 may be shifted into reverse to perform a short, sharp turn.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of this invention, further modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular forms shown and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for propelling a craft comprising:

(a) a frame;

(b) a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame and having means operatively attached thereto for imparting oscillatory rotation to said shaft about the longitudinal axis of said shaft;

(c) rack means mounted on said frame for longitudinal sliding movements;

((1) gear means operatively connecting said rack means to said shaft for oscillatory longitudinal sliding movements with oscillatory rotation of said shaft, said gear means further being characterized by moving said rack means a distance substantially farther than a linear distance equivalent to the rotational movement of said shaft; and

(e) paddle means attached to said rack means for oscillatory longitudinal movements therewith.

2. Apparatus for propelling a craft as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for imparting oscillatory rotation includes a foot operated treadle.

3. Apparatus for propelling a craft as set forth in claim 1 mounted on either side of a craft and operated simultaneously.

4. Apparatus for propelling a craft as set forth in claim 1 wherein said paddle means includes at least one gate operative to produce a propelling force in one direction and to move freely in the opposite direction.

5. Apparatus for propelling a craft as set forth in claim 4 including means for altering said paddle means to produce a force in the opposite direction and to move freely in the one direction.

6. Apparatus for propelling a craft comprising:

(a) a frame;

(b) a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame and having means operatively attached thereto for imparting oscillatory rotation to said shaft about the longitudinal axis of said shaft;

() first gear means fixedly attached to said shaft for oscillatory rotation therewith;

(d) second gear means rotatably mounted on said frame and meshing with said first gear means for rotation therewith;

(e) first rack means mounted on said frame for longitudinal sliding movements and meshing with said second gear means for oscillatory sliding movements thereof with rotational movements of said second gear means;

(f) third gear means rotatably attached to said first rack means for longitudinal movements therewith;

(g) second rack means mounted on said frame for longitudinal sliding movements and meshing with said second gear means for oscillatory sliding movements of said second rack means with rotational movements of said third gear means and meshing with said third gear means for imparting oscillatory rotational movement thereto upon oscillatory sliding movements of said second rack means;

(h) third rack means mounted on said frame for longitudinal sliding movements and meshing with said third gear means for oscillatory longitudinal sliding movements of said third rack means with rotation of said third gear means; and (i) paddle means attached to said third rack means for oscillatory longitudinal movements therewith. 7. Apparatus for propelling a craft as set forth in claim 6 wherein said first, second and third rack means are mounted substantially parallel and horizontal and in vertical spaced apart relationship with said second and third gear means interposed therebetween.

8. Apparatus for propelling a craft as set forth in claim 6 wherein the second and third gear means each include a gear meshed with the second rack means and the ratio of the pitch diameter of the gear in said third gear means to the pitch diameter of the gear in said second gear means is greater than 1:1.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,039,422 6/1962 Baker -25 ANDREW H. FARRELL, Primary Examiner. 

